Yet people still refuse to accept that sometimes, being first makes little difference, delivering something well polished and usable as well as having a track record of quality is worth a lot, and people make choices for reasons other than release timelines.

Being first only matters when you solve a problem people already have. Polishing doesn't matter it that case because you ease people's pain.

If you create a thing that people don't want currently polishing and marketing all that matters.